The Non-Corporeal Undead

Zombies and Skeletons and Vampires, oh no! Oh no? Not yet. There are other things to be feared in the world of spiritual folklore. yeah zombies are scary, but their cousins are just as scary. Meet the non-corporeal undead. These guys (or girls) break all the rules, as they cannot create a physical form for whatever reason, and haunt us from "beyond the grave". While "corporeal" means they somehow have a body to inhabit, these guys do not. Here they are:

Ghosts or Spirits- A general, collective term for ectoplasmic spirits that are still tethered to the world as a result of an unfulfilled goal they had in life. They are the spiritual embodiments of the ones they were in life, and can either be benevolent, or malevolent, depending on how they were in life.

Specter- A mental representation of some haunting experience that takes the form of that experience. It usually reflects a past mistake one has made or a sin they have committed. If the guilt is strong enough, the specter would be strong enough to influence their victim to the point of insanity or even suicide.

Wraith- The word "wraith" is a Scottish dialectal word for ghost, which can usually be seen shortly after a person’s death. The movie “Ghost” with Patrick Swayze incorporates the “wraith” idea when he is shot and killed, and his ghost (wraith) jumps out to chase down his murderer. In old Scottish legends, a wraith, if it rises fast enough, can take its murderer with them to hell.

Will o’ the Wisps (European term)- This term is derived from the Latin term “ignis [fire] fatuus [foolish]”, also called a “friar’s lantern”, they are mostly seen in bogs of swamps, and attempt to lure stray travelers into their midst. They are so named because they appear in the form of an enticing ball of flame that puts the viewer in a trance. They are lead to the bog/swamp/etc and drown themselves against their own will.

Mylings- A Norse mythology term. Also called an “utburd” which means “that which is taken outside”, they are said to chase lone wanderers at night and jump on their backs, demanding to be carried to the graveyard, so they can rest in hallowed ground. Mylings are thought to be enormous and apparently grow heavier as they near the graveyard, to the point where any person carrying one (or more) could sink into the soil. If one should prove unable to make it into the cemetery, the myling kills its victim in rage.

Poltergeists (German term) “polter” means “to make noise” and “geist” means “ghost”. The term is seen in the story of Dr. Friedbert Karger who was one of two physicists from the Max Planck Institute who helped to investigate perhaps the most validated poltergeist case in recorded history. Annemarie Schneider, a 19-year-old secretary in a law firm in Rosenheim (a town in southern Germany) was seemingly the unwitting cause of much chaos in the firm, including disruption of electricity and telephone lines, the rotation of a picture, swinging lamps which were captured on video (which was one of the first times any poltergeist activity has been captured on film), and strange sounds that sounded electrical in origin were recorded. The physicists, journalists, and the police did not prove fraud despite intensive investigation. The effects moved with the young woman when she changed jobs until they finally faded out, disappeared, and never recurred. Later, they relaized, that Ms. Schneider had already died three weeks before. They make themselves know by making noise, banging things, or just moaning, in order to frighten its victims.

Nymphogeist (German) “Nympho” means or refers to something “sexual” or “sex”; a somewhat different brand of incorporeal undead being, they are said to be the angered, restless souls of young women said to be killed by their husbands, or raped or defiled in some way. They appear to sinful men in their sleep, seduce and make love to them, and as they do, they drain their life energy away, until the man, who is usually a criminal or a sinner in some way, dies of a heart attack, a stroke, or some other bodily malfunction. They were thought to be the cause for “Nymphomania” in young girls when Adolf Hitler was in power in Germany. Nymphogeists sometimes possess the bodies of flamboyant, vibrant and spunky young women and cause them to commit acts of murder so they can corrupt their souls and make them join them in eternal damnation when they die. Another way to think of these haunted harlots is the Christian version of this being, the Succubus. Succubi are female demons that seduce and mate with temple monks while they sleep, causing them to fall victim to vice, such as lust and alcohol. Inccubus or Inccubi are male demons, and the do the opposite to women in shrines.